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Six Naxals held for Dantewada massacre

Naxal leader Barsa Lakhma, who was produced before the press at Dantewada on Monday.

Lost CRPF wireless set ‘guided' Naxals

Dantewada: In a major breakthrough, the Chhattisgarh police have arrested six persons, including self-styled Naxal commander Barsa Lakhma, who were allegedly involved in the gunning down of 76 security personnel here last month.

“We have arrested six persons in two different incidents on Sunday night from Morpali, 4 km from Chintalnar,” Superintendent of Police Amresh Mishra told PTI here.

The six were allegedly involved in the killing of 75 CRPF personnel and one State police constable on April 6, the biggest attack on security personnel in post-Independence India.

The arrested Naxals told the officials that the CRPF personnel had become sitting ducks after they lost a wireless set of the Deputy Commandant of the 62nd CRPF Battalion on April 5. The Naxals had been keeping a close tab on the movement of the paramilitary force personnel with the help of the set.

These six persons had given a detailed de-briefing to Naxal top brass Ramanna and Paparao, during which the “complacency” of CRPF was also discussed, they told the interrogators.

According to the arrested Naxalites, the CRPF company was selected as the target because it stayed put in one place for an entire day and its movements were under constant watch, Mr. Mishra said.

The final kill was decided after the wireless set started buzzing on April 6 at 3 a.m. asking the men to get back to the ground and start searching for the lost set, the Naxals said.

The arrest of the Naxals comes close on the heels of the Centre's move to shunt out three officers of the CRPF, including its Deputy Inspector-General Nalin Prabhat, Commandant of 62nd battalion, and an inspector.

It has been recommended to also transfer Mr. Mishra and Inspector-General T.J. Long Kumeer of the Chhattisgarh police in the wake of the E.R. Rammohan report, which had allegedly blamed them for not properly planning the area domination exercise. However, there was no mention of DIG Kallauri, who was present at all operational meetings. — PTI